MP Maritime Base


 

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  1. Purpose
  2. History
  3. Description
    1. Excavation and Basic Structure
    2. Entrances and Openings
    3. Systems
      1. Power
      2. Communications
      3. Environment
      4. Computers
    4. Level Descriptions
      1. Dock Level
  4. Personnel
  5. Contents
    1. Logistics
    2. Ammunition
    3. Ground Vehicles
    4. Aircraft
    5. Watercraft
    6. Salvage Gear
  6. MORE TO COME

     This is a generic description of the reasonably-standard base for Project landing ships and harbor-clearance equipment.

 

Purpose

 

     This facility provides a safe storage environment for 100 persons, a landing ship, other small vessels, and equipment useful to the Project's goals -- in this case:

 

 

History

 

     In 1979, the first prototype fusion generator became available to the Project, with regular production expected to begin in two years. Even before any fusion generators were mass produced, plans were made to incorporate nearly-limitless electrical power into every step of the Project's plans.

     After extensive surveys, four locations (two on the west coast, and two on the east coast) were identified and acquired by the Project.

     Initial excavations began in 1981; the rough internal shape of each base was complete in 1984, with the construction of structures and systems -- living quarters, fusion generators, environmental service systems, elevators and ramps, storage areas, cryosleep chambers, etc. -- beginning before the excavation was complete. The bases were finished and sealed in 1985.

    

Description

 

      The dock level has the largest volume, and is several hundred meters long. The outer end of this level opens to the sea (once the base is fully activated); it's designed to store, and service, a landing ship and several other Project watercraft. Most of the supplies stored in the base are on this level.

      Above the dock level is a six-story structure, mounted on shock absorbers, and otherwise equipped to ride out earthquakes (and the Atomic War). The two elevator shafts are separated by the width of these levels -- there's a complicated bit of engineering to keep the elevators standing in the event of a major shock.

 

Excavation and Basic Structure

while this is a specific base, most of the layout is the same for all four bases

 

     The construction of each base required the removal and disposal of several hundred thousand cubic meters of rock; some of the rock was melted and fused along the sides of tunnels -- most of the rest was ejected into the sea. Each base also used twenty thousand cubic meters of reinforced concrete  -- mostly pumped in from outside the excavated cavern, with purified water produced from sea water. The concrete pumping took a couple of weeks, and could only reach up to 70 meters above sea level.

 

Somewhere there was a smallish ship (Liberty ship sized) with a concrete mixing and pumping system installed.

 

     Three enormous 6-meter thick concrete plugs were placed to keep the dock dry for at least two decades. The planners allowed for up to 2 meters of sea level rise in their scheme, along with storm or tsunami surges; the normal tidal range is about 2 meters.

 

this image shown at half-size

Click here for the full-size version;

note the 10 meter patrol boat to the left of the landing ship, and the V-150 on the dock;

the slanting dotted line is the rough course of the water pipes connecting to the sea,

and the vertical dotted lines show the location of the main elevator shafts. When viewed

at full scale, one of the basketball backboards can be seen.

 

Entrances and Openings

 

     There are five ways out of the base, but only one way in until the staff unblocks some sturdy barriers.

 

 

Looking inwards from the sea; note human figure for scale;

the overhead bridge crane has a 200-ton capacity.

 

     Several electrical conduits lead to locations on the surface at high ground above the bases, for the staff to install antennas and surveillance equipment after they are woken up. These end in concrete utility enclosures (similar to those found in sidewalks), buried a few feet below the pre-War surface.

     Two VLF receiving antennas are installed just below the ground surface, at separate locations.

     Similarly, ventilation shafts extend to within a few meters of the surface; but there is nothing above ground to indicate their presence. They would be opened with lasers once the base is in full operation.

     The rock disposal tunnels had several heavy stainless steel pipes installed in them, for filling or emptying the dry dock, and for cooling the base reactors; the tunnel was then filled with concrete and rubble after these pipes were installed. Heavy-duty valves, manifolds, and pumps are connected to the pipes at their upper end, on the dock level.

 

Systems

 

Power

 

     At the dock level, there are two 50 megawatt Mk 3 fusion generators; on level 1, there is a a 3 megawatt Mk 2 fusion generator. The smaller reactor is used only for emergency power production once the base is activated -- when in "sleep" mode the base only requires about 1 megawatt of power, and the main generators are shut down.

 

Communications

 

VLF Radio

 

     There are two separate but identical VLF receivers. The base cannot (usefully) transmit VLF signals.

 

Satellite Radio

 

    A number of satellite communication transmitters and receivers are available, including man-portable systems such as the PSC-3. None of these can be used until the base is "opened up" (they don't work from underground). At least one 5 meter dish is intended to be installed on the highest point of local terrain.

 

Strategic Radio

 

     The base has about any likely sort of radio gear that could be useful, including direction finders. None of it functions until the antennas are brought out from the base and assembled.

 

Other Radio

 

     Besides the usual Project radio systems (such as the PRC-70), there are large (installed underground, with antennas to be brought up after the base is opened) and small (vehicular, or man-portable) radios, antennas and accessories (such as direction-finding systems). These systems cover military, marine, aviation, police and emergency, industrial, etc. channels and configurations.

 

Environment

 

     Before the base is "opened", it's a sealed environment; there's quite a large volume of air, and the power system can break down oxygen from water. Amine scrubbers, to remove carbon dioxide, are also available -- however, the base commander and medical staff would decide whether those were needed.

     The vehicle entrance and the dock tunnel both have "water curtains" to help remove external contamination from entering (or exiting!) vehicles.

 

Computers

 

     Dozens of Morrow Project PCs are provided. At least a couple of the other, more specialized computers (the Gavilan and the Compass) are also provided.

     A collection of every sort of laserdisc book library is available, plus a fair amount of "analog" books and documents, and a dozen or so laserdisc players.

 

Level Descriptions

 

     In order from top to bottom, the base's levels are:

 

 

Dock Level

 

     This level is divided into the "center bay" (with the actual dock), the "north bay" and the "south bay" (designations of the side bays change depending on the orientation of the base). There are two 50 megawatt Mk 3 fusion generators, pumps for the dry docks and two deep wells, two machine shops, a vehicle repair shop, and the tunnel for ground vehicles to enter or exit the base.

     The north bay and south bay each have a 200-ton capacity overhead bridge crane -- while it wasn't likely that anything quite that heavy would be lifted, having three sets of the same components made maintenance planning easier. They each have a floor space of about 11,000 square meters.

     A full-size basketball court spans the width of the dock hall; the backboards swing out of the way when not in use.

     Along one side of the central floor, there's a dock office area, and men's and women's shower and washrooms. All over this level are yellow telephone boxes, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, fire hose reels, first aid kits, etc.

     Both sides of the dock edge (where ships would tie up) have connection points for providing electrical power, fresh water, septic tank drains, etc.; along with the usual bollards and fenders for keeping ships or boats in place.

 


This image is also uploaded at Shipbucket scale.

 

Personnel

 

     There are 420 cryosleep berths in each Maritime base, on level 3. The following is the "design" staff -- any actual base might vary a bit.

 

 

     A generic base thus has a total of 70 MARS, 73 Science, 10 Omega, 247 Engineering, and 16 non-branch personnel.

     If Recon teams are added, they will usually reduce the number of Engineering- or MARS-branch personnel assigned to ground vehicles or watercraft.

 

Contents

 

     While not primarily supply depots, these bases contain equipment to support their coastal transport and peacekeeping role.

 

Logistics

 

 

Ammunition

 

     Note that the main portion of explosives and other hazardous materials that might threaten the bases are buried in several inland caches within a few kilometers of the base -- these caches resemble normal Project boltholes (as in, they have a door in front), but only have minimal systems installed.

 

Ground Vehicles

 

     Vehicle nicknames are for one of the west coast bases; the base staff choose the names.

 

Aircraft

 

Watercraft

 

 

Salvage Gear

 

 

 

MORE TO COME